Junior School English Summer Assignments 2013 SIXTH GRADE English This summer all incoming sixth graders are to read Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool. Moon Over Manifest begins with rough-and-tumble, Depression-era stock heroine, Abilene Tucker, arriving in her father's hometown of Manifest, Kansas.

Assignment: Use a large brown shopping bag (Acme, Genuardi, etc.). Use a piece of paper to design a new cover for Moon Over Manifest to fit the front of the bag. This should include the title and author of the book. Brightly color the cover. Glue the new cover to the front of the bag.

Write your name on the bottom right corner of the bag. Cover the front of the bag with clear tape or clear contact. Place in the bag seven (7) creative, homemade items that relate to the book. Your items should be made of various materials. For example, if the book involved a ghost, you could create a ghost from a cotton ball wrapped in a white napkin. Use a larger sized index card to write a sentence or two to explain the importance of each item. Attach the index card to the back of your bag. You will use the index card to present your bag to the class.

This assignment is to be handed in on the first full day of classes. We will discuss this book for the first two weeks of school, so please bring your copy of the book to school to prepare for the test! See you in September!

Finally, all girls are encouraged to continue reading over the summer. Please refer to the Recommended Authors for Recreational Reading information located at the bottom of the page for additional selections. If you have any questions, you may contact me at the address below or email: [email protected] Ms. Kathleen K. Shine 6th Grade English Academy of Notre Dame de Namur 560 Sproul Road Villanova, PA 19085

SEVENTH GRADE English This summer all seventh graders are to read the novel The Fifth of March by Ann Rinaldi. During the 1770s in Boston, the beginning of the American Revolution, Rachel Marsh, a servant for the John Adams family, has her loyalty tested as she befriends Matthew Kilroy, a British private in the Royal Army. Write an essay discussing how cultural differences, loyalty and friendship influenced Rachel’s opinion of the American Revolution in the North. Cite 3 instances for each topic. The essay should be only 1 typed page, double spaced with 1” margins using Times New Roman font, size 12. Prepare a collage representing the American Revolution; such as, a magazine picture of a colonial boy holding a flag; or a colonial outfit, etc. The collage should be 8.5” x 11” only and the paper should be completely covered. It may not be a computer collage! The collage will be presented and discussed in September as well as the essay. Both the essay and collage should be prepared for the first day of class. Have a great summer and READ!!! Please refer to the list for suggested readings. If you have any questions, please contact me at the address below: Mrs. Irene Vecchione Academy of Notre Dame de Namur 560 Sproul Road Villanova, PA 19085 Or by email at [email protected].

EIGHTH GRADE English Read Yann Martel’s innovative and moving novel Life of Pi. In this novel, themes include “God, survival, and tiger behavior”. The story begins in India as young Piscene Molitor Patel negotiates his way through a unique childhood. After a tragic accident, Pi, as he now identifies himself, finds himself on a meaningful journey of survival, friendship, and faith on the ocean. As you read, please keep a reading response journal of at least three entries. These entries should be written in complete sentence form, and they should include what you like/don’t like about the book, its characters, themes, or styles, and what questions you may have about the author, book, narrative, or story. Find and make note of (booknotes or sticky notes are fine) a quote that you feel is significant to your understanding of the book. Bring these entries, your copy of the book, and your quote to school with you on the second day of classes. Be prepared to participate in a book club within the first few days of school in which you and your classmates will respond to a variety of prompts about the book. Students will write an essay about Life of Pi within the first two weeks of school, after the book club and class discussions. Students are highly encouraged to engage in reading over the summer! Look to your local library, bookstore and recommended book lists for ideas. Happy reading! If students have any questions about the summer reading, they should contact Mrs. Kathryn Shaheen at [email protected].

ALL STUDENTS Below is a list of authors recommended for summer reading for all grades.

Recommended Authors for Recreational Reading

Please be sure to check out NoveList. This is an online, readers' advisory service that helps one locate new fiction based on books one has already read or based on topics in which one is interested. Searches for books may be conducted by title, genre, setting time period, character name, theme, author, or by describing a book one would like to read. NoveList can be accessed through POWER Library available through your public library, either in person or remotely, using the bar code number on your library card. Select the EBSCO database for access to NoveList.

The authors listed below are recommendations only and by no means is this list exhaustive. Be sure to verify that the title selected meets your reading level and interests. Have fun!

Junior School Alexander, Lloyd George, Jean C. Paterson, Katherine Anderson, Janet Hale, Shannon Paulsen, Gary Armstrong, William Hesse, Karen Peck, Richard Avi Hoffman, Alice Pierce, Tamora Bond, Nancy Horowitz, Anthony Pullman, Philip Bradbury, Ray Hunt, Irene Rylant, Cynthia Cameron, Ann Lee, Tanith Sachar, Louis Christie, Agatha L'Engle, Madeline Speare, Elizabeth Collier, James Lincoln Levine, Gail Carson Spinelli, Jerry Cooper, Susan Lowry, Lois Stine, R.L. Creech, Sharon Martin, Ann Taylor, Mildred Cushman, Karen Mazer, Norma Fox Van Draanen, Wendeline DePrau, Jeanne McKinley, Robin Vandevelde, Vivian Dickens, Charles Meyers, Carolyn Voigt, Cynthia Donnelly, Jennifer Myers, Walter Dean Wilson, Jacqueline Farmer, Nancy Nix, Garth Wolff, Virginia Euwer Fox, Paula O'Dell, Scott Yep, Lawrence Fritz, Jean Park, Linda Sue Yolen, Jane

High School Anderson, Laurie Halse Dessen, Sarah Myers, Walter Dean Bloor, Edward Dickens, Charles O'Dell, Scott Brashares, Ann Faulkner, William Roop, Peter Bronte, Charlotte Fitzgerald, F. Scott Slade, Arthur Brooks, Martha Fleischman, Paul Steinbeck, John Chabon, Michael Hemingway, Ernest Voigt, Cynthia Crutcher, Chris Lawrence, Iain Yolen, Jane